Dave Shirley calls himself a comedian who doesn’t tell jokes. Really, he’s more a performance artist, playing against expectations, creating high-tech productions for the audience that are laugh-worthy. A veteran of Denver’s top comedy clubs and creator of the Rattlebrain Theater Company (2002-04 with occasional ongoing special projects), Shirley has made it to the Las Vegas round of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” See his audition video here, which aired June 4. The upcoming Vegas rounds air July 16-17. The first live episodes begin July 23-24.

By any serious reckoning, Shirley compares favorably to last season’s winner, traveling dog act Olate Dogs. (Pop singers have been the most frequent victors in the show’s seven previous seasons.) The winner takes home $1 million, but Shirley says he’s in it mainly for the exposure.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.